New teeth shed light on the origins of humans?
Two teeth may not seem like a lot, but these teeth could wind up being an important clue in the history of human development:
At a press conference announcing the discovery, the mayor of Mainz said: ‘I don’t want to over-dramatise it, but I would hypothesise that we shall have to start rewriting the history of mankind after today.’
I wonder what he’d be saying if he was wanting to over-dramatize it.
In September 2016, researchers from the Mainz Natural History Museum in Germany discovered the set of teeth near the town of Eppelsheim.
In their study, published on ResearchGate, the researchers, led by Dr Herbert Lutz, wrote: ‘Both teeth, the crowns of an upper left canine and an upper right first molar, are exceptionally well preserved and obviously come from the same body of unknown sex.’
The molar was found to share characteristics with other species, including Lucy ”“ a 3.2 million-year-old skeleton of a human ancestor found in Ethiopia.
But the canine revealed potentially hominin qualities, which have never been seen in teeth discovered in Europe or Asia.
This raises questions about whether humans originated in Africa, as is commonly believed.
That sound like a potential powder keg. But fascinating.
I dont know. A European hominid seems to be a hard sell foe me due to the sheer weight of African finds.
There simply isnt enough here to sink ones teeth into….
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!
un…a A European hominid origin I mean…
I mean, that would definitely upset a lot of apple carts out there, but I still have some….gnawing doubts…
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!
Theories start simple then become complex. Likewise theories of human origins and diffusion across the globe.
Our ancestors were clever folk who got around.
Yeah, but a complete upheaval of the “Out of Africa” theory off a few teeth?
Thats a lot to chew on…
Mental floss needed.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!
🙂
So…If the teeth were unearthed in a cave…would that make it…a cavity search?
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!
Any chance these two teeth were somehow swept up in a freak sandstorm in Africa and deposited by the wind in Germany? Like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz.
Thats a pretty odd theory about them teeth there Ester.
Im not biting…
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!
“This raises questions about whether humans originated in Africa, as is commonly believed.”
I don’t think you can put the toothpaste back in the tube now … sorry neo. I guess the usual thoughtful discussion in your comments hasn’t materialized yet.
So our evolution is now explained? I think not. We do not know, but we may know at some time later. It is always a mystery until it is not.
FOAF, guess everyone’s left their wisdom teeth behind.
9+ million years ago. They could have been washed down-river to the beach on the Rhine near Eppelsheim from almost anywhere; the glaciers could have carried them down there from Norway in a ball of ice.
I hope there’s some organic material remaining, enough for a decent DNA analysis which might put paid to the people who know that hominids originated on what is now the African continent.
Tim Turner:
“FOAF, guess everyone’s left their wisdom teeth behind.”
Id say POAF’s fossil collection lacked a humerus.
Geesh, we do not know our origines, hough we might know in the future. Stop questioning and wait /or sound evidence.
It is an interesting discovery, but I can see that ridicule was the reason why the researchers hesitated to release their finding. Teeth jokes, finally a nice, safe PC topic for pent up biting humor.
It’s quite simple; the partially dis-articulated cranium was mistaken for a coconut by two swallows who carried it from Africa. Occam’s Razor and all that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liIlW-ovx0Y
Why should this matter much, to anyone? …other than the few academics dedicated to nailing down the details of that particular period of the evolutionary record?
For me, this is a bit like claims that “On the day we discover that there is intelligent life in Alpha Centauri (or wherever) our view of ourselves and the universe will change forever!”
Uh, no, it won’t. Not unless they actually showed up and exterminated us, in which case I suppose the last human would shrug and say, “Yep, the pessimists were right.” But otherwise?
Someone tell me why this (the tooth) matters to Joe Bob the auto mechanic? Or even a lecturer in English Lit.?
(crickets)
I mean, I get it: Obscure researchers in obscure fields occasionally need a shot in the arm to reassure them that what they’ve done with their lives matters. So who’s gonna begrudge them a breathless headline every few decades?
But that’s seeing things from the perspective of rooting for one particular field to get its day in the sun.
From the news-reader’s perspective, it’s a whole other matter. Every freakin’ day, the headlines clamor at us that such-and-such discovery is so catastrophically important.
Anybody kinda sick of that?
R.C., I suppose it’s because it’s a founding premise. To a degree, you’re right. On the other hand, it’s the logical assumption that hundreds of other assumptions are built on. And more importantly, it’s telling about the minds who created those assumptions.
This directs funding, taxation, book deals. It re-writes the course of science history (We all know Lucy today, but that’s a brief blip in scientific history). Nobody may remember that 50 years from now if an opposing scientific faction gets control of scientific narrative. What they’re arguing about today is really “are we going to change who gets to write the history books”?
This doesn’t matter to Joe Bob the mechanic, if he’s just interested in keeping his head down and paying his taxes to whoever’s in charge. It does matter if he cares about truth, and ensuring that the people who decide truth are honorable, reliable, and honest people.
R.C.
Just because Joe Bob doesn’t even have his G.E.D., don’t class him a moron; it matters to him because for the last 43 years he’s had it pounded into his head by establishment academe that his ancestors came from Africa.
Now Joe Bob can lift up his head and proudly proclaim/howl his unquestionable Aryan background.
Gary D. G.,
However, this finding would indicate that all of humanity came from Europe, not Africa so… aren’t we all unquestionably Aryan?
The if you really want a kick in the teeth, if this is correct, since the teeth were found in Germany, we’re all of Germanic origin… take that Hitler!
This is interesting to me because I had my DNA analyzed by 23&Me a few months back. I have 1% West African genes, 5% Ashkenazi Jew genes (where did that come from?), and the rest is northern European – mostly Viking by way of Normandy. My ancestors arrived in Scotland with the Normans as they conquered England. (This I know from genealogy.) I also have above average Neanderthal genes. (Not exactly sure what that means except that it explains my knuckle dragger tendencies.) From Wiki:
“The Neanderthal genome project published papers in 2010 and 2014 stating that Neanderthals contributed to the DNA of modern humans, including most humans outside sub-Saharan Africa, as well as a few populations in sub-Saharan Africa, through interbreeding, likely between 50,000 and 60,000 years ago.”
So, where did the Neanderthals come from? Africa? Where’s the connection?
When I visited Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania, I remember feeling impressed that this was where they found the remains of very early humanlike creatures (The site was occupied by Homo habilis approximately 1.9 million years ago, Paranthropus boisei 1.8 million years ago, Homo erectus 1.2 million years ago,…) and was possibly the cradle of humankind. Was this where it all began? Or is there more to the story? This new discovery hints at it.
They still haven’t done any open research on those giant mummified remains and bones the Smithsonian bought up in the US, and then never showed them again. The receipt of purchase is well documented from old records and photographs.
As for the origin of human things, first we have to go down an alternative path.
http://www.herealittletherealittle.net/index.cfm?page_name=Divine-Council
Or to use the phrasing of the Red Pill movement, everything you’ve been told, was wrong.